Village of one man, 50 wives and 100 children
Kamalanagar, January 12, 2007: In the northeastern state of Mizoram, 64-year-old patriarch, Ziona, heads a village consisting entirely of his 50 wives and over 100 children.
Ziona, who has married 50 times and fathered 109 children, is the self-styled chief of Baktawng, a village 90km north of the state capital, Aizawl.
The villagers recently tried to put Ziona into the Guinness Book of Records for having married a record number of women. However, the effort was in vain because he refused to pose for a photograph, according to reports.
The family also carries forward the legacy of Lalpa Kohhran, (God’s Church), a sect founded by their ‘godfather’ Chana in 1966.
This sect split from the predominant Presbyterian group in the 1930s when the church, headed by the Welsh missionaries, banned ‘khuang’ (Mizo traditional drum) as an instrument of worship.
Chana and his brother Khuangtuaha condemned the church ban and left with their followers. His descendants have continued to practise the faith of their forefathers in a state which is 87% Christian.
Chana, who was said to have married over 20 women, died in 1997, and his son is carrying on the family tradition.
"We build a society that is more tolerant of personal differences in views and thoughts and where people appreciate and carry forward the values of mutual respect, love and co-operation," Ziona said.
"To expand my sect, I am willing to go even to the US to marry," he said.
Ziona’s first wife Zathiangi, two years older than him, said, "I and my other sisters (other wives of Ziona) are proud to serve our husband till our last breath. We are a very happy and self-reliant family."
Twenty-six-year-old Huntharnghaki is Ziona’s latest wife.
"If a family system is laid on the founding of mutual and genuine love and respect for each and every member, then the system is guaranteed to be a success," Huntharnghaki said.
About 20kg of rice and at least 10 chickens are cooked daily to feed the giant family, who make a living from carpentry.
Kamalanagar, January 12, 2007: In the northeastern state of Mizoram, 64-year-old patriarch, Ziona, heads a village consisting entirely of his 50 wives and over 100 children.
Ziona, who has married 50 times and fathered 109 children, is the self-styled chief of Baktawng, a village 90km north of the state capital, Aizawl.
The villagers recently tried to put Ziona into the Guinness Book of Records for having married a record number of women. However, the effort was in vain because he refused to pose for a photograph, according to reports.
The family also carries forward the legacy of Lalpa Kohhran, (God’s Church), a sect founded by their ‘godfather’ Chana in 1966.
This sect split from the predominant Presbyterian group in the 1930s when the church, headed by the Welsh missionaries, banned ‘khuang’ (Mizo traditional drum) as an instrument of worship.
Chana and his brother Khuangtuaha condemned the church ban and left with their followers. His descendants have continued to practise the faith of their forefathers in a state which is 87% Christian.
Chana, who was said to have married over 20 women, died in 1997, and his son is carrying on the family tradition.
"We build a society that is more tolerant of personal differences in views and thoughts and where people appreciate and carry forward the values of mutual respect, love and co-operation," Ziona said.
"To expand my sect, I am willing to go even to the US to marry," he said.
Ziona’s first wife Zathiangi, two years older than him, said, "I and my other sisters (other wives of Ziona) are proud to serve our husband till our last breath. We are a very happy and self-reliant family."
Twenty-six-year-old Huntharnghaki is Ziona’s latest wife.
"If a family system is laid on the founding of mutual and genuine love and respect for each and every member, then the system is guaranteed to be a success," Huntharnghaki said.
About 20kg of rice and at least 10 chickens are cooked daily to feed the giant family, who make a living from carpentry.
posted by Ven. Pragya Jyoti at 1:11 AM
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